I would still get the E4300, a better upgrade path, overall its cheaper, and the E4300 is just a better cpu (maybe i should have said "slightly better" instead of "on par"). Where did you hear AMD cpus are better then intels in gaming? Thats was the case before the C2D's, when all intel had in the desktop market where the P4s and PDs, but the Core 2 Duos are the performance kings ATM.

Dude, I love you. Those benchmarks are exactly what I've been looking for. I did suspect that amd's gaming superiority record might have been outdated, but I just hadn't many direct gaming comparisons lately; those reviews gave me what I was looking for. In that case, I'll be going with setup #2. Thanks a bunch for all your advice, man.

Its a tough decision, the E4300 oc's like a dream, although the E6300 is slightly faster, and oc's fairly well too. I have an E6300 myself, and decided against returning it and getting an E4300. So i guess if you arent going to oc, and the $10 doesnt matter all that much to you, get the E6300. If you are going to oc, get the E4300.